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Press Release - July 29, 2025
Pharmacare shouldn't depend on your postal code: AccessBC Launches Campaign Urging Carney to Complete Pharmacare
The AccessBC Campaign has launched a new national letter-writing campaign, “Pharmacare Shouldn’t Depend on Your Postal Code,” aimed at urging Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government to keep their promise of universal pharmacare for all Canadians.
Despite the passage of Bill C-64, federal legislation to provide free prescription contraception and diabetes medication and supplies to all Canadians, only 17% of Canadians currently live in provinces and territories that have signed on to the national Pharmacare plan. The remaining 83% are getting left behind. Federal leadership is needed, but unfortunately, the Carney government has signaled it is backing away from further negotiations with provinces and territories to finalize pharmacare agreements.
“Without strong federal leadership to sign and fund these deals, millions of Canadians will continue to face barriers when trying to access life-saving and life-changing medicine,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Chair and co-founder of the AccessBC Campaign. “The Liberals promised national pharmacare, but the work is far from finished. By stepping back from pharmacare, the government is deepening health inequities and denying people the basic care that we value so much as Canadians.”
The campaign invites Canadians from coast to coast to send letters directly to Prime Minister Carney, demanding federal leadership to sign and fund the remaining pharmacare agreements with all provinces and territories. The campaign highlights the success seen in jurisdictions like British Columbia, where free prescription contraception has significantly improved access and health outcomes.
“In British Columbia we've seen how impactful free contraception has been,” said Devon Black, co-founder and national liaison for AccessBC, the campaign that successfully advocated for free prescription contraception in British Columbia. “When so many people are struggling with rising costs and medical expenses, it's frustrating to know that most Canadians are still waiting for the federal government to keep their promise on pharmacare.”
“Millions of Canadians are still waiting for coverage. Walking away from the remaining agreements is not just a policy failure, it’s a betrayal of a core Canadian value,” said Phelps Bondaroff. “Pharmacare should not be a privilege determined by your postal code. It must be a program accessible to all Canadians.”
AccessBC calls on the federal government to act without delay and ensure that pharmacare lives up to its promise as a program that serves all Canadians equally, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.
For more information and to participate in the campaign, visit www.AccessBC.org
Background
Cost is a significant barrier preventing people from accessing prescription contraception. In jurisdictions where these costs are not yet covered, a hormonal IUD can cost up to $500, contraceptive implant costs $350, oral contraceptive pills cost at least $240 per year, a copper IUD costs $75, and hormonal injections cost as much as $180 per year. These costs fall disproportionately on women and people who can become pregnant.
In addition to helping prevent unintended pregnancies, people are prescribed contraception contraception for a wide range of reasons, including treating chronic pelvic pain, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, heavy menstrual bleeding, irregular cycles, hormonal acne, cyclical mood changes, and gender-affirming care.
Studies have found that free prescription contraception is a revenue-positive policy. Dr. Wendy Norman, from UBC’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team’s Contraception Cost-effectiveness modelling project team, estimated that the policy would save the BC health system $27 million, or over $5 per BC resident, per year. A 2015 study in the Canadian Association Medical Journal estimated that if this policy were rolled out across Canada, it would save governments $320 million a year, and this is just in the form of direct medical costs associated with unintended pregnancy.
On April 1, 2023, British Columbia became the first province to make prescription contraception free. This policy covers a wide range of contraceptives, including pills, injections, implants, IUDs, and emergency contraception. Manitoba implemented the policy in August 2024, Prince Edward Island’s program began at the start of May 2025, and Yukon has committed to beginning its program before January 2026. These later programs were initiated as a result of successful negotiations under the first phase of the national Pharmacare plan, which will provide universal, single-payer coverage for a range of contraception and diabetes medications and supplies.
In BC, this policy has already improved access to contraceptives for thousands of residents. According to the BC Ministry of Health, from April 2023 to December 2024, 306,000 British Columbians were able to access prescription contraception free of cost. This included 180,000 hormonal pills, 72,000 emergency contraceptives, 65,000 hormonal IUDs, 11,000 hormonal injections, 10,000 implants, 10,000 copper IUDs, and 5,000 vaginal rings.
The policy has helped increase contraception usage. Research from UBC published this week, found a 49%-per-cent jump in long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) use after BC made contraception free. Additional research from UBC found that the number of people using any form of prescription contraception increased by 10% overall. The policy has also reduced the number of people paying out of pocket for prescription contraception, from 37% before the policy was implemented, to only 13% in June 2024.
Learn more in our backgrounder.